Behind the hype: Oh, Mary! hasn't yet opened in L.A., but it's returning again next season

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Set us as preferred There are many metrics by which to measure the success of “Oh, Mary!,” the Tony Award-winning play that has taken the stage by storm.And here’s a new one: Effusive hype and high ticket demand has resulted in Center Theatre Group booking the show for its 2028 60th anniversary season even before its national touring production hits the Ahmanson Theatre on Nov.

10.As evidenced by Tuesday’s announcement, the current tour, starring drag queen Alaska Thunderf— is set to arrive in L.A.next week with sky-high expectations.

Ironically, director Sam Pinkleton originally resisted the idea of a tour, feeling the show might lose some of its charm on the road.“I was convinced it was a bad idea,” Pinkleton said with a laugh during a recent interview.“But when we went to Broadway, I also thought that was a terrible idea, and I was absolutely wrong.” The director was originally concerned the scrappy little show with a cast of five wouldn’t play as well in larger houses.

“But seeing how well it works on Broadway, I think it’s actually better than in the small room.It’s not a play I would call subtle; it really fills a room.

So that gave me a lot of confidence about a national tour.”Written by and originally starring Cole Escola, “Oh, Mary!” is a revisionist take on former First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln’s life in the days leading to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.Historical accuracy be damned, the show presents Mary as a wannabe star repressed by her closeted husband.

Premiering off-Broadway in February 2024 and set to run six weeks, the show was given multiple extensions before transferring to Broadway, where it won Tony Awards for Escola’s performance and Pinkleton’s directing.Escola was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in drama that same year.But “Oh, Mary!” has achieve...